february's babies are getting big! however, march has brought us NEW babies! SEVEN NEW KIDS!!!!! annie, our alpine goat, gave birth to twins the morning of march 14 (see photo). annie is a full-blooded alpine and the father is full-blooded alpine as well, although he is all black. these will be our first animals which will have papers. i looked but couldn't tell, but tom assures me they are a boy and a girl.
portulaca gave birth to TRIPLETS and violet gave birth to twins just today. so seven kids in two days. will have more photos on my next edition. tonight after the knit and crochet fest, i went up to see them and all five born today were hanging around together, some cuddled up and sleeping together, while the moms were out eating. i was wondering when the moms come in how they will know which is which?
pgh knit and crochet update: an enjoyable time was had by the seven of us today. i'm sure the festival made a nice profit today. all kinds of new patterns and yarns i had never seen. definitely worth the trip and you still have time - it will be on saturday and sunday as well. i am certain i will be contacting several of these yarn manufacturers to offer their yarns in my shop. my first official ad was in the program and it looked really nice. i am talking to them about the possibility of my having a booth there next year.
it has tabs for classes and this blog. my etsy shop and facebook page are linked to the site. reminder: please check the class schedule and let me know if you are interested in taking any classes. rhonda pegg has agreed to hold her crochet classes during the day, as was requested. advance registration is required.
happy birthday greetings go out to diane prues and kathy acita! and happy st. paddy's day to all of you of irish descent!
dates to remember
thurs, march 21 purlin girls meet at noon at the bean
thurs, march 21 dolly llamas meet at noon at maia's house
saturdays, march 16 and 23 craftique fiber art group meets at craftique in greensburg 10-12
tuesday, march 26 knitters anonymous 1-5
fridays shop open 10-6
the craftique fiber art group is doing a knit along - the hitch hiker in the nightfall sock yarn. and some of them are very beginning knitters. kudos to the beginners who are stepping out of their comfort zone and giving this pattern a go. this group is also covering an old rocking chair with knitted and crocheted handiwork. its coming along nicely and when its finished, i will post a photo. i would really like to copy this idea and cover some kind of chair for the shop and make it a group effort. stay tuned for details.
our friend, romayne, took the rustic spun shawl pattern and did something totally her own by mixing a variety of yarns with way out colors and textures. check out her beautiful photo at the left. of course, she looks beautiful in anything.
my most recent beginning knitting class at franklin ended last week and i was sad to see it end. joyce was coming along nicely knitting a sublime baby jacket in pink and salmon, tammy tried her hand at one of the new ruffly scarves (thanks to monica), joanna almost finished her scarf but decided to start a shawl reminiscent of the old days to go with a costume she wears for her storytelling adventures, monica felted several purses, and lane was trying her hand at a little felted clutch as well. i hope we can keep in touch and do some knitting together! thanks girls for making the class so enjoyable for me and getting to know you better.
whats new?
hiya hiya 9" sharps in sizes 0 through 8. great for avoiding dpns on cuffs, hats, etc. i am a firm believer in knowing how to use dpns but most of us arent too fond of them so this is a great alternative at times.
pagewood farms swagger light yarn: 218 yards of 100% merino wool in gorgeous monochromatic colorways.
hand made stitch markers with beautiful beads, some made of copper, and some owls. new sheep mugs have also made their way to the shop.
i finally finished my noro sweater made with their silk garden sock yarn. it turned out nice, and thanks to the cold spell, i was able to wear it today to the pgh knit and crochet fest.
my very first private 'party' was thursday march 14! connie, a lady i met while in ligonier has a group of friends (all retired teachers) who get together and do something fun to celebrate their birthdays. i had mentioned to connie last summer how i wanted to do a wet felted 'bowl of cherries' class. now somehow that stuck in her mind and she said she thought they would like to do that. of course, i said yes even though i hadn't actually made one yet. well after fretting a little and worrying a l0t, the class went off without a hitch. the first class had everyone wet felting their bowl over a balloon and also making the cherries. in a couple of weeks they will come back to cut the bowl to shape and do a little needle felting and putting the stems on the cherries. thanks to these ladies, i feel more confident to teach another class!
just wait til you see the finished product in april!
be sure to pop in on the 2nd and 4th tuesday or any friday and join in on the fun.
and last but not least is another creation by one of our friday knitters. cathy started out making a cowl then changed direction, added large opague beads and made it into a beautiful necklace which she wore to the festival today.
so long ladies, happy easter, and happy knitting!
